Paws and Claws
by Howlin
Summary: An outcasted, feline esque girl who keeps to the shadows, avoiding crowds. A popular, doglike boy, who enjoys breaking into song from rooftops. Unlikely match? I think not.
1. Another Day

Clouds of steam erupted from the chimney of one Hogwarts Express as it pulled into Platform 9 ¾, Kings Cross Station, London, England. As soon as the train drew itself to a hault,a figure slipped on board. Practically a shadow, the figure, obviously female, clambered through the still lonesome compartments, settling into one near the very back of the train.

Enter Kaoti Delora Braddock.

A baggy t-shirt fell from her shoulders to well past her waist; showing no more skin than necessary; baggy black cargos neatly fitting in the general area of her hips. The pale skin, akin to a saucer of milk, of her bare arms, neck and face was all to apparent where the t-shirts material didn't stretch. Her eyes, a psychotic forestry green, and lips were outlined and shaded in with some variety of black makeup. Around her neck hung black, heavy headphones, silent, at the moment, but will no doubt be blaring some sort of loud, wailing music in moments to come. Some changes had occurred to Kaoti over the summer – the heavy, almost maniacal piercing of both ears, which now sported silver studs and rings carved with Celtic designs – racing up her fleshy lobe to her cartilage, and of course the rarely un-concealed tattoo of a paw print with claws at the base of her neck, slightly to the left. God it had hurt.

Glancing around the empty compartment with her very feline-like green eyes, Kaoti tugged nervously at her hair. That was one of her nervous habits, see? That, and biting her lip to draw blood…well; at least she didn't' chew her nails. That would cause complications, seeing as her nails were her prized…possession; long black claws on slender, skeletal fingers.

Finding no one, obviously, about, Kaoti rolled the hem of her top up slightly, the pale, cold fingers of her dominant left hand tracing bruises and scars that chased each other around – mocking her with painful memories. This was why she turned into 'Killer' Kaoti. Ever since being orphaned then 'adopted' (more like picked off the streets,) she'd endured physical and mental abuse – and, recently, sexual abuse.

The slight padding of feet told her her black Bombay cat was restless. The bond between Kaoti and the egotistical tomcat was powerful – and he was no muggle-born-and-bred housecat. Nightshade, the cat, acted as fabled familiars would, protecting Kaoti (making him seem more like a guard dog than a cat,) and even talking to her mentally – a trick he could use to anyone he felt should be honoured by his complaints. Still, Nightshade was Kaoti's only friend.

Sighing quietly, the girl reclined in the hard seats of the train, closing her feline eyes as she shifted to make herself comfortable; feeling a soft thud and a low, rumbling sound – her cat companion had claimed her lap as his bed, curling with his luxuriously long tail curled over his pink nose and silver whiskers; yet his large green and amber eyes remained open; watching…always watching.

Which was a good thing; really. Up on his paws before the group of giggling girls even touched the compartment door; the movement of the cat woke Kaoti with a start. A light sleeper – but it had it's uses. Shifting her weight, she curled her legs underneath her so she sat cross-legged, restraining her cat in her lap with a hand gripping each shoulder and foreleg, waiting with a hunters patience.

The door slid open.

Licking her upper lip with her pink tongue, Kaoti put on a face of utter, twisted evil – her darkly painted upper lip curling up and away from her white, small teeth - a mockery of a snarl plastered on human features; her shoulders hunched and rolled forwards with her violent green eyes gleaming. She knew how to look scary – she'd tried to master the art half her life.

The tallest girl who entered was in Kaoti's year; the other two who followed her probably siblings, from the matching, freckle-splattered faces and the same laughing blue eyes…and lets not forget the same curly brown hair. It irritated Kaoti to no end, mind, even though the three girls seemed to ooze general good-natured-ness.

Perhaps that was what was so annoying about it all.

The first girl glanced at Kaoti, taken aback briefly by the girls apperance. Despite being in the same year, and probably some of the same classes, the brunette probably paid as much attention to Kaoti as an airplane did to a boat. "Uh; hi," she offered warily, shuffling herself and her sisters in. "You don't mind, do you? We wanted to sit together, and – "

"Actually, it's all full," Kaoti said in a dead serious voice..despite looking like a madwoman.

"But..it's empty," the brunette pointed out, pausing in her acsenion into the compartment anyhow.

"Oh no, don't you see them?" Kaoti started, lips twisting cruelly. "All my friends are sitting here. Look. There's Whiskers, and there's Satin…and theres the one that chewed that Hufflepuffs arm off; Comet, isn't it? Oh you /are/ a prett - " she stopped when she heard the compartment door slam. Smirking to herself, Kaoti leant back into the hard train seats and closed her eyes once more, stroking Nightshade under the chin.

Hufflepuffs, she thought wryly as she felt herself drifting off. The only house that would believe in a compartment full of ghost cats.

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the authors words of wisdom: what do you think? x3 please r/r.

Also, JK Rowling owns everything of harry potter; places, themes, characters...i only own the well-mannered Kaoti Delora Braddock and her innocent cat Nightshade.


	2. Lioness

The rest of the train ride to Hogwarts had been fairly un-eventful for Kaoti: no one else had tried to sit with her in the further most compartment of the crimson train. Knowing the gossip-factor of the school, it was likely that even the prefects at the head of train knew about her and her compartment full of feline phantoms. Still, despite the odd looks and whispers she knew were going to erupt the moment she stepped off the train – Kaoti had at least managed to buy herself long, long hours of solitude, which she spent either sleeping or listening to muggle music.

However, her time of solo peace was ended as the hulking train pulled into the Hogsmeade station. With a sigh, the girl swung her legs down from the stretch of seats she had taken over; pushing herself up to her feet, arching her back as she stretched like a cat. Heaving another sigh, Kaoti started towards the door of her compartment that led into the aisle, turning her head briefly over her shoulder to glance at her sleek black tomcat. In a silent exchange, the mind-speaking spell she had worked on the cat allowing her to hear his whines and complaints, Kaoti rolled her eyes and stepped back to him, picking him up by the scruff of his neck before shifting him into a more comfortable position; cradling the four legged demon in her arms.

Striding off the train, her Hogwarts cloak trailing like some deformed shadow at her heels, Kaoti raised her catty eyes to glance at her surroundings; or at least, what surroundings you could see when you were about 5'2 and standing in the dark. Shaking her head, she let her lank black hair slide before her milky face, proceeding to one of the carriages, pausing slightly as she approached it. They always put her back astride; those demoniac winged creatures, skeletal horses with their hollow gaze and quivering, leathery wings. Heaving a silent sigh, she scratched her tomcat's chest as she hoisted herself up and into the rickety carriage, placing her cat down beside her so as to take up two seats. And this was obviously a dutiful plan.

Moments after she had settled herself, the carriage door was wrenched open, revealing three smiling faces, laughing eagerly amongst themselves – second years, by the looks of them, second years who did not see the beast that pulled each carriage.

"And what are we looking at, hm?" Kaoti demanded from the dark, lifting an eyebrow as her eyes gleamed almost ominously, hinting at an equally as manic look on the rest of her face – though those features were mercifully hidden by the shadows of the inner carriage – for the second years sake.

"We were looking for a place to sit," the tallest one said boldly, grinning his innocent little grin. Oh how Kaoti hated innocence.

"Well sit somewhere else," she imperiously commanded, moving so she propped her feet up on the opposite side of the carriage – quite a feat for someone so small – clearly intent on making them either find a different carriage, or cling to the carriage's exterior and get dragged from the station to the school.

"But theres only one of you - "

"I believe you missed my friend, Night," Kaoti cut him off irritably, lifting an eyebrow and shifting slightly so her demonic little friend was seen. "And he doesn't like you, trust me, so move before he doesn't something that I probably won't regret." Oh she was such a nice girl.

Watching in satisfaction as the three second-years shuffled off, Kaoti shook her head, closing her eyes briefly when the carriage lurched forward; taking her to her home away from home; the looming castle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

She had barely closed said eyes when the carriage haulted; jerking Kaoti into a rather rude awakening, where all she could do was blink blandly at the dark opposite wall. Rolling back her shoulders, she plastered a neutral expression on her face and rose, grabbing her cat and pulling him into a cradled position once again, before stepping out into the surging crowd that were the second years and up, every House, flocking like some massive flock of sheep towards the heavy oaken doors.

Smiling wryly inside her head, Kaoti marched forward, holding her chin high and her shoulders back as she strode, uncaring of the comments she received as she past. Most were trivial things along the lines of 'Oh, shes weird,' 'Oh, she's ugly,' 'Oh, she's a midget.' Others were more amusing things: 'Does she really have ghost cats?', 'I hear she eats mice and rats, which is why Dumbledore still keeps her around.' For the record, Kaoti had never bitten into a mouse.

Tossing her hair beyond her shoulder, Kaoti completed the Royal Walk of 'Shame' and slid into the shool, still in danger of tripping over the trail of her robe as she all but glided to her Houses table – seating underneath it's banner. Short moments passed; and the headmaster, Dumbledore, stood up at the head table and commanded attention with his prescence – or at least, most of it, since our dear little Kaoti seemed intent trying to keep her cat hidden and quiet beneath the long table. And so she missed some of the announcements – well, almost all of them, really, except for the one about the Forbidden Forest being particularly dangerous this year. Something about some maniacs who ate death. Weirdos, Kaoti mused, as food erupted onto the golden plates.

The feast finished, Kaoti sprawled in her dorm room, laying on her belly on the four-poster bed she called her own; Nightshade curled up at her side, lightly dozing, though perked, quivering ears proving that he was alert. His voice rose in a hiss at every passing person; Kaoti having to mutter frequent 'Don't come any closer, he bites', or 'You can't take a hint, can you?' to those fellow roommates, who apparently were desperate to get to the far side of the dorm. What was there? Sure, it may have been the only clean window…and the way to the bathroom…but still…!

That night, Kaoti pulled her crimson curtains shut about the bed, laying on her back ontop of the covers, scratching her purring cat behind the ears as she listened to the other girls talk of fellow housemates; those who ran under the lions banner – so to speak.

"Did you SEE Black at the table today?"

"Black? Come on, Potter was /SO/ it!"

"No – but – OH you know what I heard?"

"No, what?"

"Well, apparently, Chrissa told Lisa who told Betsy who told my sister in Hufflepuff that Evans has finally agreed to go to Hogsmeade with him!"

"Really? No way!"

"Just ask her – or did she fall asleep?"

"She's probably pretending, so- "

Kaoti had clearly heard enough. "Don't you people ever shut up?" Kaoti snarled, like the lioness the Sorting Hat had told her she was. At her words, the girls whisperings died back down to what they were supposed to be – whispers – and Kaoti found herself drifting off to sleep.

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the authors words of wisdom: Well, obviously, I'm just going to upload the story as it comes to me for my own damn amusemant, but it /would/ be nice if I got reviews - mutter mutter -


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